Helping Parent V

Helping Parent responsibilities coincided with the Valentine's Day party at pre-school today. Greta insisted on wearing the same outfit she wore to the party we hosted on Tuesday, a little Mary Kate and Ashley number I picked up at the consignment place around the corner for $6. When Rob called it a "grandma outfit" you should have seen the look she shot him!

We had a fun afternoon together. By now, our regular readers know the routine: free play/craft, clean up, story time, outside play, snack time, music time. Add in two rounds of table scrubbing with a bleach/water solution and seven trips to the bathroom, and you can see how the 2.5 hours flew by!

At dinner tonight Greta said her favorite part of the afternoon was ringing the bell (a helping friend duty) and declaring "Clean up time!"
I told her my favorite parts were making heart-shaped pretzels and watching her build towers with her friends.
I didn't tell her my other favorite part was when her teacher, Mrs. Hicks, gave me some unsolicited praise. She commented favorably about Greta's vocabulary. "She uses so many big words! And she uses them correctly!" She is also pretty independent, follows directions, and plays well with the other kids. "She has really warmed up," Mrs. Hicks continued. "I remember last fall..." as she trailed off, she smiled and shook her head. I remember, too. She has come a long way, my funny valentine.